Average Networkers Make for Average Executives

Effective networking can make or break your career

The most successful (top 25%) executives and managers are great networkers.

Executive and managerial networking are critical skills for success. The bad news is that so few see it as important until it is too late. The good news is that it can be taught, learned, coached, and constantly improved upon.

Signs of Mediocre Executives and Managers

Average and mediocre executives and managers downplay the importance of networking, and as a consequence they achieve less than stellar results in their career. These less than stellar results take the following form:

• Passed over for promotion
• Average pay increases year over year
• Lack of job opportunities and leads presented
• Passed over for career enhancing projects and meaningful work
• Job searches that take 2x-3x longer than peers in the top 25%
• Inability to stay abreast of industry changes
• Poor hiring track record – lacking of knowing the best candidates
• Unable to validate candidate information through references due to poor network
• Inability to forecast/look ahead due to a lack of connections with “folks in the know”
• Guessing at setting standards and expectations due to a lack of connections to benchmark success in comparable companies

Our Series on Executive and Managerial Networking

Networking is simple, takes very little time and nurturing when it’s done effectively and consistently. Networking is a painful experience when it is done sporadically and with little discipline.

In this series on “Networking for Executives and Managers”, we’ll take the major elements of networking at a tactical level, and break them down into manageable and actionable items you can easily implement with very little time investment.

In our next blog post, we’ll try to put a few parameters around what is executive and managerial networking so that we have a common definition.

Questions about Executive and Managerial Networking

I’m very curious if our readers could respond to a few of the questions below about networking:

When was the last time you engaged in some form of networking through your job (not including a job search)?

What has been the greatest direct benefit you ever received through a networking activity?

Have you ever recruited a great candidate for your team by networking vs. running advertisements?

Resources for Executive and Managerial Networking

Here’s a helpful link and idea until our next post. Many of our readers have expressed frustration over finding great candidates (sounds strange in the depths of one of the worst recessions since the great depression). One of the great best practices in finding top talent is to use a method of networking called One Degree of Separation.

CLICK HERE to learn more about how to find great candidates by using the networking technique of One Degree of Separation through our Success Factor Methodology.

You can also listen to our archived radio show programs on this subject and download samples of Compelling Marketing Statements to use in One Degree of Separation Networking. CLICK HERE to explore our FREE Resources Library for Hiring Executives and Managers.

Barry Deutsch

Join our HIRE and RETAIN LinkedIn Discussion Group by CLICKING HERE to learn more about executive and managerial networking strategies and techniques.

Related posts:

1. The Top Ten Mistakes Executives Make in Choosing Recruiters
2. Why Is Recruiting Sales People Like High School Sports?
3. 10 Mistakes Companies Make When Hiring Recruiters